S ,FLECIOt.A L CAŽiNVASS. Y `iAn electoral OciAnvass for the enrol nient of State electors will be under tken in the tosn and district shortly and will be cols cted: somewhat on PiVilar lines to thiat carried out in nhnection.with·tthe ,Federal rolls a couple of'vears aco. M" embers of the fi lice force. will leave an. enrolment i 'orm at each house and the house ]idlder will be reouired to fill'diL, the `aiames.of every person residing ili the louse. ,who is, over 21 years of age, ha canvas?s belga conducted at thie resent time. will ensure every pe-son ititled to vote 'beina enrolled prior to next eeneral'elebition. whether their ai[mesareii'-'biithi'ioll at thlipresent 'ine or not. "4 1....

SPROTEOFION FOR MINISTERS. As tpkical of the strong precautions adopted by:the authorities, it may be mentioned that the members of the cabinet in Pretoria:. ae:, accompanied evdrywhliro"b' armned'.escorts., The' Govelnment' has: forined a mo bile cdlumn :df: 200 -war. veterans for emergencyservice at any ,point. Nono of the burgher force dre statiooed at Johannesburg, -the defence of- which ihas been manly handed over to En~ lisli volunteers. General. Smuts, Minister for Fin aice arid Defence,ini address to the onimittee of:PIublic Safdty -hero to day~.sdid that the Government was loth to pse the burghers in .Johainnes burg because it feared / that they would not tolerate what the Imperial troops tolerated without firing during the:riots of:last July.?'

NO I3BRIEAD FOR SOLDIERS Mr. Andesroni thb"Pirasieiit of the Bakers'. Union, announces that cll bread baked frbm noon: to-morrow. will only be delivered' on a per mit signed by himself. No bread will, oo.delivered to .members of -the de fence force or to the police. It is estimated that there are about. 0,000 active mombers . of the def66co force and, reserves under arms in the Transvaal, Orangeo Free State,. and NorthernmNatal. Thesoe men are largely either former,, irregulars or burghers,.and consequenitly are war. veterans. - ,Taonty thousand troops are concen trated 'a, Johannesburg und- along the R eef .- : - , -, : - Several thousand troops are sta tioned at Protoriaanod similar disposi tions liave been made ,:at other cen tres.. The remainder are employed ,n pickotting 'and patrolling several thousands of miles of main railway lines.'

A FATALITY-AVERTED.' "DI)RO IN~G" GIRL SWDIS:.OUT. Sydney. Jan. 12. As 'the Manly steamer Balgowlah was leaving Manly wharf vesterday af'.. ternoon a twelve-vear-ohl'iirl was seenm to slio from the end of the cargo wharf: and disauear: in 'the water. Three young men dived into the water and made for the snot. but meanwhile the girl's head anneared above the water, and she confidently turned . on her back and floated until she regained lier breath. Then she struck out for the wharf crosstrees. from, which she 'was rescued. The trio of would-be rescuers was loudly cheered.

1 LOAN FOB'BALLARATI At a meetine of Ballarat East Coun cil on Monday. Cr. Pearce nave notice of his intention to move for the pre paration of vlans for certain works preparatory to the flotation: of a loan for the carrvine out of extensive con tracts in the town. including imnprove ment ihn connection with sanitation, purchase of road makine machinery and extensions of the Town Hall and other public buildings. It is stated that -the pronosals of Cr. Pearce will receive the unanimous support of his colleagues.

VALUABLE DOGS- POISONED. Trafalgar. Jan. 12. A larve number of valuable dogs have been found dead in the town dur in- the oast few days., On examina tion it was found in each instance they had been given meat' containing meough noison to kill six dogs. The wholesale poisoning has caused indig nation. and a larue reward has been offered for information re 'the matter.